Chocolate-Espresso Dacquoise and Cooking Club #1

Last January, I was reading this book, and it reminded me of the importance of community, of connecting with friends and walking through life together. I've been really blessed to find a group of friends here in LA with whom I can do just that. One specific aspect of Shauna's book that caught my attention was the cooking club that she mentions comprising monthly meeting with a bunch of friends who gather over food. And I thought, why not start one here?

So in February, Cooking Club began, bringing my friends together from different areas of life: school, bible study, even a friend I've known since before I moved to LA. Every month, we have a theme, and the first was Best Thing You Ever Made.

Liz made bruschetta. Elisha made a caprese salad turned up a notch.
Jackie made Italian chicken with noodles. Sarah made short ribs.
I made dessert...a "new"recipe that I found in an issue of "The Best of America's Test Kitchen..." a Chocolate-Espresso Dacquoise. 

Here is the evidence of the fun of Cooking Club #1, followed by the recipe for dessert.

Chocolate-Espresso Dacquoise

Ingredients
For the merinque:
3/4 cup blanched sliced almonds, toasted
1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted and skinned
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1/8 tsp. salt
1 cup granulated sugar
4 large egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

For the buttercream:
3/4 cup whole milk
4 large egg yolks
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. amaretto
1 1/2 tbsp. instant espresso powder
16 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened

For the ganache:
6 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 tsp. corn syrup

For garnish:
1 cup blanched sliced almonds, toasted
12 whole hazelnuts, toasted and skinned

Directions
For the meringue:
1. Blanch the almonds.
2. Toast the almonds and hazelnuts. Then remove the skin from the hazelnuts. Set aside.
3. Adjust oven rack to the middle position. Heat oven to 250 degrees.
2. Cut parchment paper into a rectangle slightly larger than 13x10 1/2-inches. Grease a baking sheet and place the parchment paper on it.
3. In a food processor, combine almonds, hazelnuts, cornstarch, and salt until finel group, about 15 to 20 seconds.
4. Add 1/2 cup sugar and pulse twice to combine.
5. Using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip egg whites and cream of tartar together on medium-low speed until foamy, about one minute.
6. Increase speed to medium-high and whip whites into soft, billowy mounds, about one minute.
7. With the mixer running at medium-high speed, slowly add remaining 1/2 cup sugar and continue to whip until glossy, stiff peaks form, about 2 to 3 minutes.
8. Fold nut mixture into egg whites in two batches.
9. With an offset spatula, spread meringue evenly onto the parchment paper, keeping within the 13x10 1/2-inch rectangle. 
10. Lightly mist (or sprinkle) the surface of the meringue with water until glistening.
11. Bake for 90 minutes. Turn off the oven and allow meringue to cool in the oven for another 90 minutes (DO NOT OPEN the oven during baking or cooling).
12. Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes.

For the buttercream:
1. In a small saucepan, heat milk over medium heat until just simmering.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl, whisk together egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and salt until smooth.
3. Remove milk from heat and, whisking constantly, add half of the milk to the egg mixture to temper.
4. Whisking constantly, return tempered yolk mixture to milk in saucepan.
5. Return saucepan to medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is bubbling and thickens to the consistency of warm pudding, about 3 to 5 minutes.
6. Transfer pastry cream to a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap that you lay directly on the surface of the cream. Cover and refrigerate until set, at least two hours and up to 24.  Before using, warm gently to room temperature in microwave, stirring every 10 seconds.

7. Stir together amaretto and expresso powder. Set aside.
8. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter at medium speed until smooth and light, about 3 to 4 minutes.
9. Add pastry cream in 3 batches, beating for 30 seconds after each addition.
10. Add amaretto mixture and continue to beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes longer, scraping down the bowl thoroughly halfway through mixing. Set aside.

For the ganache:
1. Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl.
2. In a small saucepan, bring heavy cream and corn syrup to a simmer over medium heat.
3. Pour cream mixture over chocolate and let stand 1 minute.
4. Stir mixture until smooth. Set aside to cool until chocolate mounds slightly when dripped from a spoon.

To assemble:
1. Carefully invert the meringue and peel off parchment paper.
2. Reinvert meringue and place on cutting board. Using a serrated knife, use a gentle, repeated scoring motion and trim the edges of the meringue to form a 12x10-inch rectangle. Discard the trimmings.
3. With the long side of the rectangle parallel to the counter, use a ruler to mark the top and bottom edge of the meringue at 3-inch intervals.
4. Using the serrated knife, score the surface of the meringue. Gently score through the meringue until it is fully cut through.
5. Repeat to make four 10x3-inch rectangles.
6. Place three rectangles on a wire rack set in a baking sheet. 

7. Using an offset spatula, spread 1/4 cup ganache evenly over the surface of each meringue.
8. Refrigerate until ganache is firm, about 15 minutes. Set aside remaining ganache.

9. Using an offset spatula, spread the top surface of the remaining meringue with 1/2 cup buttercream. Place on a wire rack with ganache-coated meringues.
10. Invert one ganache-coated meringue and place on top of buttercream. Press gently to level.
11. Repeat two more times, spreading meringue with 1/2 cup buttercream and topping with inverted ganache-coated meringue.

12. When last ganache-coated meringue is in place, spread half of the remaining buttercream to lightly coat the sides of the cake.
13. Smooth sides and top until cake resembles a box.
14. Refrigerate until buttercream is firm, about 2 hours.
15. Once the buttercream is firm, the assembled cake may be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 2 days.

16. Warm remaining ganache in a heatproof bowl set over barely simmering water, stirring occasionally until mixture is very fluid but not hot.
17. Keeping the assembled cake on a wire rack, pour ganache over the top of the cake.

18. Using an offset spatula, spread ganache in a thin, even layer over the top of the cake, letting the excess flow down the sides.
19. Spread ganache over sides in a thin layer.
20. Garnish the top of the cake with whole hazelnuts. 
21. Holding the cake in one hand, gently press sliced almonds onto sides with the other hand.

22. Transfer to platter. Cut into slices and serve. For best results, slice with a sharp knife that has been dipped in hot water and wiped dry before each slice.